Battle of Hearts
by DestinyHikari
Summary: Summary on first chpater. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or most of the characters. The only ones that do belong to me are Hikari, Atsuko, Mizuki, Nanami & Saxon. Also, I've added a combination of Roxas and Axel. PLEASE REVIEW.
1. Chapter 1: Decide

Prologue

"Aww…She's so cute, don't you think. Sora?" A red headed woman hovered over a golden crib. Inside the crib lay a beautiful baby girl stretching out her arms to the woman. The woman gave the infant a warm smile and picked her up. She gently was rocking her side to side. "Yeah, she is," a male voice said. A man with brown, spiky hair and blue eyes looked at the child and smiled. He bent down to the child's height. "Hikari….That's her name." The woman nodded. "It means light." The man placed his finger in front the child. The baby immediately tugged on his finger. The man smiled despite how strong his daughter held on. Hikari placed his finger in her mouth and sucked strongly, refusing to let it go.

The man smile disappeared as he tried to get his finger away the child. "Hikari!" The man cried. "Let go! This is not how you treat your father! Kairi! Help!"

The woman laughed quietly. She then pulled Hikari away from her father gently.

Hikari made a couple of sounds as she tugged onto Kairi long red hair. Kairi placed the baby in her crib and sighed.

"Wow…If she's this strong alone. Imagine what will happen when she inherits the Keyblade."

Hikari giggled and hit her midnight blue colored pillow continually.

Sora examined the child's movements and then looked at the ground. "I was talking with the others. You know, Riku, Roxas, and Axel. And we have come to a decision." He took a deep breath and looked at Kairi. "We're not going to tell our children about what we did. Nothing."

Kairi startled by Sora's words said, "But…But why? They have a right to know who we really are. We can't hide their futures from them."

"I know that," Sora sighed. "But I think it would be better if we kept them here, on Destiny Islands. Where we can watch them and keep them safe." He glanced at Hikari. _"If anything ever happened to her…I don't know what I do." _

Kairi sighed. "Fine. But I don't like this. I don't like this at all." She smiled at Hikari. "I hope we can keep this a secret for a long time."

Sora nodded. "I'm sure we can."

Hikari chewed on her crimson blanket.

Kairi grabbed onto it trying to keep it away from Hikari. "Why are you so violent?!"

Hikari giggled and let the cover go.

Kairi fell back on to the ground, landing on her back.

Sora looked at Kairi, trying not laugh.  
Hikari let out noises that sounded like giggling.

Sora couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed at Kairi who was rubbing her head.

Kairi rolled her eyes playfully.

* * *

Chapter One: 

Decide

"Yes!" Hikari exclaimed. "Summer vacation here I come!" Her silky brown hair bounced around as she jumped up and down in her last class. "Man, Hikari," Atsuko laughed as she walked to the jumping girl. "Calm down." "Oh," Hikari laughed neverously. "Sorry. I'm just finally out of this place!" Atsuko laughed again. "Not just yet Hikari," she pointed at a woman with bistre brown hair and dark eyes walking their way. "No…" Hikari mumbled. "Not her…" Atsuko laughed again. "I guess I better get going then. She hates my hair," she said pointing at her unruly crimson hair. "It's not my fault I got hair like my dad. Plus out of control is my thing." She and Hikari laughed. "Well, I'll see you on the island," Atsuko waved and began running down the hall.

"Miss. Atsuko!" The woman called. "No running in the halls. And what did I tell you about loose socks with sneakers."

"Sorry Miss. Tasgo," Atsuko said and she walked quickly away from the woman in a dark purple suit. "I guess I'll never learn."

"Well you've got about two months to try," Miss. Tasgo said as she approached Hikari.

"Miss Hikari," she said in authority like tone. "What have I told you about that charm on your neck?"

On Hikari's neck was a silver star-like chain attached to a black band. "But Madame," Hikari said. "This is my charm. It separates me from everybody else. Infact, I think I'm the only one in this world with it. Well, Apart from Nanami's dad."

Miss. Tasgo rolled her eyes. "Just fix your uniform," she said as she glanced at Hikari's clothes. The school uniform for girls was an upper thigh, white and blue plaid skirt, the same colors and design on the tie, a white short-sleeved blouse, any types of socks, and dress shoes or sneakers.

Hikari looked at her dark blue, knee high socks and black moccasins. She pressed her hands on her skirt trying to straighten it. "Is this okay?" She asked.

"Its fine," Miss. Tasgo said as she began walking down the hall. "Have a good summer Miss. Hikari."

"You too, Miss. Tasgo!" Hikari waved. She glanced at the white clock on the wall. "I might as well get my bag," she mumbled to herself as she ran to her locker.

* * *

Hikari fumbled around with her locker lock. "Finally," she said as she open the small door and pulled out her sandy taupe brown colored book bag. She grabbed on to the dark brown straps. She made sure she had taken all her belongs and then shut that locker. She took off the lock on the outside of her locker and threw it into her book bag. She smiled as she walked down the halls. _"Finally,"_ she thought. _"Summer vacation. Just me, Nanami, Atsuko, and Mizuki."_ "It's going to be a great summer," she mumbled as she passed by a girl with short blond hair and one with short black hair.

"Did you hear about Hikari's dad," the blond girl said.

Hikari stopped walking. _"What about my dad?"_ She thought. She hid in a corner listening to the girls' conversation.

"Yeah," the girl with black hair said. "Something about a Keyblade. All I know is he saved the world or something."

"_Saved the world?" _Hikari thought. _"That's impossible! What's wrong with these two?"_

"Yeah," the other girl said. "I heard my parents talking about how he and Nanami, Mizuki, and Atsuko's dads did something adventurous too."

"Whoa," the black heard girl exclaimed. "What did they do?"

"Well they--"

"Miss. Suzumiya and Miss. Shikaru," Miss. Tasgo's voice sounded annoyed. "The school year is over. Go home. Not unless you want to stay behind and help me get prepared for next year?"

"Um, no thanks," the black haired girl said backing away. "Tell me later," she whispered to the other girl.

The blond nodded. "Yeah. Bye Miss. Tasgo!" The two girls ran out of the school as fast as their legs could take them.

"Adventurous….?" Hikari mumbled. She quickly ran out of the school, trying not to be seen or heard.

* * *

"Where's Hikari, Atsuko?!" A girl with blond hair said as she crossed her arms. She had pale blue grey eyes and long blond hair that hung over her left shoulder.

"Yeah," agreed a girl with teal ocean eyes. She had long shiny silverish- white hair. "You said she would be here soon."

Atsuko shrugged. Her black eyeliner and green triangles under her eyes made her face seemed a little scary. "She'll be here," she said. Her eyes widened. Her vibrant green eyes she had looked as if the had gotten deeper green. "Unless Tasgo got to her!"

"Oh don't be ridiculous," Nanami said as she fixed her blond mane.

"Tasgo isn't that bad," Mizuki smiled.

"Oh you think every teacher's great," Atsuko said as she rolled her eyes.

"That's not true!" Mizuki argued.

"Oh yeah," Atsuko said crossing her arms. "Name one teacher you don't like."

Mizuki clenched on to her light pink book bag. "Well the--"

"Hey!" Hikari called running over to the three girls. "Sorry I was so late." Her sea blue eyes seemed to light up when she saw her friends.

"Just don't do it again!" Mizuki warned.

"Yeah," Nanami agreed as she began walking down the ecru brown pathway. The others also began walking.

"You're never going to believe what I found out," Hikari smiled as she walked with her friends.

"You're an alien who's about to exploded!" Atsuko said as she put her hands behind her head. Sarcasm was in every word she had said.

"You would like that wouldn't you," Hikari laughed. "Actually. I found out my father saved the world."

"Right…." Atsuko said. "And I'm a pumpkin."

"Then I guess I get to have pumpkin pie for dinner," Hikari smirked. "Because it's true. I'm not lying."

"How can you say that Hikari?" Mizuki asked. "You have no proof."

"How can _you _say that Mizuki?!" Hikari snapped back. "You guys are supposed to be my best friends!"

"We are," Nanami sighed. "But this…How can we believe you?"

"Just trust me!" Hikari said a little annoyed. _"Why won't they believe me?" _She placed her hand on the side of her head and looked up into the mid day sky. She then closed her eyes.

* * *

Hikari opened her eyes rapidly. Around her was pure darkness. She couldn't see a thing. "Hey…Is anybody here?" She asked as she began walking around. Only her senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing to guide her. These moments, the seemed familiar to her nightmares she had been having the last couple of weeks.

"Hikari?"

She turned around as soon as she heard a voice. Only to see a figure in a black cloak. She couldn't understand why the figure stuck out of the darkness but she didn't feel as if that was the most important question.

"Who are you?" She asked making her way to the individual.

The person held out their hand, as if alerting her to not come any closer.

"I'll come find you," the voice said.

"But...But…" Hikari said taking another step closer. As she stepped closer she fell into the ground, being taken in by the darkness around her.

* * *

"Hikari!" Nanami's voice said. "Hikari, get up!"

Hikari opened her eyes, lifted up her upper body. She looked at Nanami, Mizuki and Atsuko. All with worried expressions on their faces.

"Are you alright?" Mizuki asked helping her up.

"You just fainted," Atsuko said handing Hikari and Nanami their book bags. She swung her own backpack over her shoulder.

Hikari quickly stood up and ran down the pathway heading for home. "Meet me at the island!" She shouted as she ran home.

The three girls watched Hikari run.

* * *

Hikari walked back and fourth as she looked at the sand on the island. She pulled on her fingerless black, yellow, and some sort of dark blue gloves that had white crosses on them. Her outfit was some what like her father's, but instead of pants, she wore a thigh high length skirt and her shirt under the short jacket showed a small amount of her stomach. She even had the crown chained necklace on. She fixed the big red pockets at the side and sat on a long tree branch looking at the sky. Nanami came running up behind Hikari. She jumped over the branch and landed in front of it. She then jumped up onto the branch and sat down. Hikari smiled at her blonde haired friend.

Nanami frowned, "Why did you want us to come here?"

Hikari studied Nanami's facial expression and tried not laugh.

"What's so funny?" Nanami asked. Very displeased by Hikari's snickers.

"It's just," Hikari laughed. "When you frown…You look a lot like your dad."

Nanami gasped and quickly smiled. "How about now?"

Hikari giggled. "Better."

Nanami rolled her eyes playfully and pulled on her black and white checkered wrist band. She was also dressed a lot like her father. The only difference was her jacket sleeves her kind of poofy and the actual jacket ended over her chest. Her black shirt, also with a star-like chain, showed her stomach. She was also wore a thigh high length skirt with a zipper. The zipper was opened, revealing a short white fabric. Her boots were black and laced with red material. "Where are the others?"

Hikari shrugged and tapped on her star-like chain on her neck. Just then something forced her to the ground.

"What's up Hikari?" Atsuko smirked. She was standing on the branch, in the exact same spot where Hikari just was.

"Obviously not you," Hikari said as she kicked Atsuko to the ground.

Atsuko fell on the other side of the branch laughing. "You've gotten stronger young one."

Hikari sat back on the branch, "Thanks."

Atsuko stood up, crawled under the branch to the side where her friends were and leaned on it, putting her hands on the back of her head. She wore black pants with a chain, and a short black jacket that showed her stomach also. Also there was a checked scarf around her ribs. Her shoes were black with red flames on the side. Mizuki stood be side Atsuko smiling. She wore a deep blue skirt and a vest just like her fathers but short. Her shoes and shirt were also the same as her dad's.

"So why did you ask us to come here, Hikari?" Mizuki asked.

"If I told you guys to leave home with me," Hikari asked looking at her friends. "What would you do?"

"Slap you across the face," Nanami responded.

"I'd think you were crazy," Mizuki answered.

"Send you to a mental institution," Atsuko remarked.

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Come on guys, I'm serious."

"So are we," Nanami frowned.

"Well that's too bad," Hikari smirked. "Because we're going to do it."

"What?" Atsuko asked shocked. "I'm not leaving Destiny islands."

"Me neither," Nanami agreed. "This summer I planned to draw a little, maybe go skateboarding in Twilight Town, but not travel the worlds!"

"And do our summer assignment for school," Mizuki added.

"Oh come on!" Hikari said jumping off the branch. "Don't you guys want to try something new?"

"Sorry Hikari," Atsuko shook her head. "But I'm with the brain and the emo on this one. I mean, how will we get to these worlds?"

"See…" Nanami said very pleased with Atsuko. She then realized she had just been insulted. "Hey! I'm not an emo! My father and I are not emos! I repeat; Roxas and his daughter are not emos!" Hikari, Atsuko, and Mizuki laughed. Nanami always seemed angry whenever she was called an "Emo". For some unfathambly reason, it annoyed her more then anything when people suggested she was hollow, empty, emotionless or too emotional.

"Seriously guys," Hikari smiled. "Just say you'll come with me. Please?"

"Hikari," Mizuki smiled. "As much as we want to go on this epic adventure with you. We can't just leave. This is our home. Everything we've ever needed and wanted is here."

"Not everything," Hikari smiled. "It's time to start over guys, come on! If our parents don't have the guts to tell us who we are…Then who will? We have to do it! So let's just go. Let's find out our power within." She held her hand out between her and the other three girls.

Atsuko frowned but them smiled, "This is really corny but…" She placed her hand on Hikari's.

Nanami sighed, "Fine. I'll go along with your plan. But only because that was such a great little speech Hikari." She smiled a little and placed her hand on Atsuko's hand.

Hikari grinned at Mizuki. "Come on Mizu. Think about it this way. We'll have an excellent story to tell for our summer assignment."

"Alright," Mizuki sighed as she placed her hand with the others. "But only because of our assignment."

"Yes!" Hikari exclaimed. "Another adventure. One for all…" "Are you serious Hikari?" Nanami sighed. "We did that when we were six."

"One for all…" Hikari repeated sounding more serious.

"And all for one!" The others laughed.

"Good," Hikari smiled. "You guys haven't turned into teenage mutant losers."

Atsuko hit Hikari in the back of the head and laughed. Hikari grinned as her friends hooted. _"I hope this lasts forever."_

"I can't believe we're going on an adventure!" Mizuki smiled, "This is going to be great."

Atsuko sighed, "But how will we get there?!"

Hikari snickered, "We're going to steal a ship." The others looked at her confused. Wasn't stealing illegal?

"Steal..?" Mizuki asked. "A ship!? No way! I'm not going to do it!"

"How?" Nanami asked. "Where are we supposed to find a ship?"

"You know how Donald and Goofy come by here every summer?" Hikari asked.

Her friends nodded so she contiued, "Well…One of us will have to get the keys off of Goofy and make a run for it."

"Hmmm…" Atsuko muttered. "Maybe that could work."

"No," Mizuki disagreed. "Maybe that's _stealing_!"

"Aww, come on, Mizu," Hikari giggled. "Live a little."

Nanami glanced at all her friends. She put her hand on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Okay. Fine. I'll take it, and we can go."

"Are you sure?" Atsuko asked, staring at Nanami. Her facial expression yelled concern. She had always been protective over Nanami. "Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine," Nanami said, dazed. "This will be easy."

Atsuko looked at Nanami for a second, frowning. She then smiled and nodded.

"Then it's settled," Hikari smiled. "Nanami grabs the keys!" She smirked. "And since this was MY idea—"

"I'll drive," She and Atsuko said in unison. They looked at each other, pointing at one another. "You!?"

"I'm sixteen," Atsuko replied. "S-I-X-T-E-E-N. Sixteen, got it memorized? It only makes sense that I drive."

"But it was MY idea," Hikari wined. "M-Y. **My**, do you have it memorized? My idea! I want to drive! Please?"

"I'll drive," Mizuki spoke up. "Since you two can't decided, I'll drive."

"A few seconds ago you didn't even want to go," Atsuko smirked.

"And now you want to drive!?" Hikari exclaimed, shocked. "You're weird Mizu…Very Weird."

Mizuki smirked and turned Nanami. "Now go get the keys before I change my mind about this!" Nanami smiled, waved goodbye, and ran to her boat.

"We better head back," Hikari declared. "And fast."

* * *

"Think you can go around, Riku?" Sora said, going into a battle stance. "Or are you too old?"

"Anything you can do, I can do better," Riku smirked. He, Sora, Roxas, and Axel stood outside and fairly large house. The weather was fine, the sun was out shining brightly, but wind blew, keeping the heat to a minimum.

"You got beat by your own daughter," Roxas smirked, leaning on a nearby tree. "And want you want to take on him? Sora…You're so full of it."

Axel laughed. He tapped his fingers against the soft, green grass. "He's right. The king's dog could even beat you."

"Hey!" Sora replied, offended. "I went easy on my little Hikari! And I'm just as good as you guys; maybe even better!"

"Let's not get unrealistic," Roxas said, moving from the tree.

Nanami ran to her father and the others. When she reached them she was breathless. She crutched down, trying to catch her breath. "Donald…Goofy…They…Where?" She managed to say between breaths.

"Why are you breathing so hard?" Roxas asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. Nanami moved his hand away, stood up straight and looked him in the eye. "Just tell me where they are!"

Roxas looked at her perplexed. He frowned and was about to speak when Axel placed his hand on Roxas' hand. "They're here," Axel answered. "Goofy's sleeping and Donald's around."

Nanami nodded and walked inside the house, clenching her fist.

Roxas moved Axel away and clenched his own fist. "What's her problem!?"

"Who knows," Axel mumbled, crossing his arms. "She's a girl…And she's like you…She can have A LOT of problems."

Sora laughed hard, tears spilling out of his eyes. Roxas glared at Axel, ready to hit him.

* * *

Nanami was in what looked like a living room. She had spotted Goofy, lying on the couch, his eyes closed. She smirked; stretching out her hand to his hip slowly for attached to his waist, was the keys to the ship. She felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She gently picked up the keys, lifting it off the waist of his pants. _"Slowly…"_ She thought. _"Quietly…"_

* * *

Hikari placed her hands on her hips impatiently. "Where is she?" She asked.

"Nanami is coming," Atsuko sighed. She leaned against the giant multi-coloured ship behind her.

"How do you know that?" Hikari replied.

Atsuko stood straight quickly and walked up to Hikari. She held her face close to her friend's, barley keeping distant between them. "Don't you ever doubt Nanami." There was hard look on her face; her eyes were glaring right into Hikari's. It was the first time the brunette had received such a demonic stare from the redhead.

"Don't talk to Hikari like that," Mizuki exclaimed, a strict look on her face. "Nobody talks to her like that but me."

Atsuko walked right past Hikari and up to Mizuki who was casually standing at the door of the ship. "Why do you always protect her?"

"Because it's my job," Mizuki insisted. "Why do _you _always protect Nanami?"

"Because it's _my _job," Atsuko smirked.

The two were standing face to face, glaring into each other's eyes when Nanami came running to Hikari. She stood to the side of her brunette friend. She studied Hikari's face closely. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly open. Nanami followed her friend's glance. Soon she found herself staring, open mouthed, at Mizuki and Atsuko.

"What on earth are they doing?"

"Arguing," Hikari answered the mystified look still on her face.

"About what?" Nanami asked astonished.

"Us."

"Are you serious?"

Hikari nodded slowly. "Yeah. They think each other are too over protective."

Turning too slowly to the confused faces, Mizuki and Atsuko faces reddened. A silence filled between the four girls.

"D-Did you get the keys, Nanami?" Atsuko asked, breaking the silence.

Nanami stared at her redhead friend, perplexed before remembering the keys in her palm. "Oh, the keys." She took a step closer to Atsuko and held out her hand.

Atsuko reached over to Nanami and took hold of the keys. She fingered the circular key holder. "So... This is what destiny feels like?" She mumbled to herself as she gazed the pumpkin orange and lemon yellow striped vessel. Rapidly turning to Hikari, she challenged her, "So are you ready for this, or are you going to back out?"

Hikari's eyebrows pushed inwards as her lips formed a grin. "I'm definitely ready for it." She walked past her friends, a determind look on her face. She reached for the silver door handle before Nanami grabbed her arm.

"Hikari..." She mumbled in a quiet whisper. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Nanami faced the ground trying to cover up the fear in her face.

Hikari glanced at Nanami before turning back to the door smiling.

"Nanami," Hikari spoke. "Whether this is real or not... I still want to go. I want nothing more but to escape."

Nanami tilted her head upwards to Hikari, astonished. It was as if Hikari had known the question Nanami wanted to ask all along, "Is this real?" She couldn't find her voice for a moment. What her friend had said caught her off guard. It really made her think about Hikari. About what exactly her friend she had known all her life really wanted.

"With that," Mizuki smiled, grabbing the keys from Atsuko. "May we go?"

Nanami slowly nodded, still in a gaze.

Mizuki ran to the other side of the ship as fast as she could. She inserted the key into the keyhole. Her chest was beating loudly as she turned the key. Her hands were a bit shaky and her body felt hot. She couldn't believe she was actually going along. She had always wanted to leave the island but it was just a far away dream for her. Never had she thought she would actually be leaving her hometown without her parents.

"Mizuki!" Hikari shouted from the other side of the ship. "Can you open up this thing already? If you take any longer, are parents might notice."

"Oh," Mizuki said, startled. "Yeah, give me a sec."

After unlocking the ship, Mizuki opened the door and stepped into the craft. She found herself surrounded by white and baby blue objects. At the control panel was different colored buttons and one steering wheel. Behind the control panel was one single chair. Behind it were two more light blue seats and then two more behind those two. In front of the first pair of chairs were two smaller panels covered in buttons and screens. At the front of the ship was a large screen presenting the outside world to the inside of the ship. At the back of the ship was a air force blue sliding door.

"Mizuki!" A voice shouted. "Open up!"

Mizuki quickly made her way to the white doors on the other side of the ship. She opened them up to see two impatient faces glaring at her.

"Sorry guys," Mizuki blushed, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "I-I was looking at the ship and I kind of forgot about you three."

"Whatever,"Atsuko muttered walking in to the vessel. "As long as you didn't try to leave without out us."

"Now why would I do that?" Mizuki smirked. She made her way to the driver's seat. She placed her hands on the control panel gently, screening through it with her fingers. She stopped when she heard a loud bang. Hikari had shut the door and was now locking it. Nanami stood in front her, a gaze look still on her face.

"You okay, Nanami?" Mizuki asked a bit concerned. "You look like you've just seen Atsuko when she doesn't have lunch.."

"Hey!" Atsuko replied, angry.

Hikari giggled at the redhead's anger.

"Huh?" Nanami burbled before shaking her head. "Oh, I'm fine. Let's go."

"Um, okay," Mizuki agreed still unsure of Nanami. She took her seat at the front of the ship. She looked out at the huge screen in front of her before inserting the key into the ignition of the craft.

Atsuko took a seat behind Mizuki. She glanced at the smaller control panel, trying to hide her interest in the ship.

Hikari and Nanami were already seated in the last pair of seats when Atsuko had said quietly. "Our parents are going to kill us."

Hikari's eyes widened but then closed. "I don't care. We wouldn't be doing this if they had let us in on our past."

"I guess," Mizuki replied unsure.

"Let's just... Go," Hikari sighed.

The ship's engine roared, the front lights flickered. Before they new it, the four friends were off the ground and heading towards the sky.


	2. Chapter 2: Memories

Chapter 2: 

Memories

Hikari had been gazing out the window closest to her. She watched the Maya blue sky slowly become a Vermilion orange and Amber yellow sunset. She sighed and lay back in her seat. She felt any hope of finding out her history lost. She had been so excited about going on this adventure. She had thought she could handle anything that would come her way. But now, she wasn't so sure. She was beginning to realize that her plan could have her hurt, or even killed. She sank deeper into her seat and closed her eyes. She could feel her stomach begin to become uneasy.

There was only one real reason why she wanted to leave. She wanted to meet the voice. She wanted to see the face of who was coming for her. She wanted to find them before they could find her.

Nanami had been looking around the ship when she caught a glimpse of Hikari. A smile formed across her lips. She had been thinking about how happy Hikari was to go on this trip. She noticed though, that her normally excited friend looked a bit depressed. She reached over and opened her mouth but quickly closed it, noticing Hikari appeared to be in deep thought.

Nanami sank back into her seat and looked out the window closet to her.

"_Hikari…"_ She thought. _"I wonder… Do you remember all that we've been through?"_

Nanami continued to smile as she thought back to her favourite memory of her and Hikari.

* * *

"_Look what I found!"_

"_What is it Hikari?"_

"_It's a Papou fruit!" _

_A small blond haired girl ran from a tall palm tree to a little brunette girl crouched down at the shore of a beach. _

"_Let me see!" The blond child insisted._

_Reluctantly, the brunette girl stood straight and held out her palm. In her hand lay a golden yellow star shape fruit. At one of the tips of the fruit was a small green leaf. The blond girl grabbed the fruit and examined it closely._

"_Nanami, what are you doing?" The brunette asked, straightening her Amaranth red strapless dress. The bottom half of the dress ended in ruffles at her knees. On her feet were fire engine red sandals attached to tea rose pink lace. _

_The blond haired girl, Nanami, responded by narrowing her pale blue grey eyes. "I'm trying to see if it really is a Papou fruit." _

_The brunette girl's sea blue eyes widen with excitement. "Is it?"_

_Slowly, Nanami nodded. "You really found a Papou fruit Hikari."_

_Hikari's lips formed into a grin as she took back her fruit. She pressed it against her chest lovingly. _

"_Where did you find it Hikari?" Nanami asked pulling down on her ivory tent dress. _

"_It was buried deep into the sand," Hikari answered, sitting down by the shore. She stared at the ocean's waves washing against the island's sand. "Maybe one of the older kids buried it here."_

_Nanami nodded as she sat close to her friend. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them closely. The ocean's roars filled the silence between the two girls. For many moments, the both watched the waves of the ocean and the clouds dance in the sky. _

_Nanami brushed sand off her cream flip flops before turning to Hikari. "Who are you going to share it with?"_

"_What?" Hikari asked, pink spread across her cheeks. "What do you mean?"_

"_You know what I mean," Nanami grinned. "You know the story."_

_Hikari turned her face away, avoiding eye contact with Nanami. "I don't remember it," she lied._

_Nanami sighed heavily before responding. "Which ever two people share a Papou fruit shall have their destinies intertwined." She flashed a triumphed smile before placing her finger on her chin. Her facial expression soon changed to become perplexed. "Or something like that."_

_Hikari chuckled as she turned to Nanami. "I'm not going to share it with anybody."_

"_But… You have to Hikari."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Oh…"_

"_You can share it with your dad, right?"_

"_I don't think it works that way."_

"_Oh…"_

"_I'll share it with somebody special..."_

"_Like me?"_

"_Um… Ask me again in nine years."_

_Nanami broke into a joyful laughter. Soon Hikari joined in. The two laughed loud, tears spilling out of their eyes._

"_Nanami," Hikari said as the laughter died out._

"_Yes, Hikari?" Nanami answered. _

"_Will we always be here? On Destiny Islands?" Hikari asked as she tilted her head upwards. A gust of wind blew wildly. Hikari and Nanami both let the breeze blow past them, grins on their faces._

"_We choose, Hikari" Nanami replied. "If you want to stay, stay. Nobody can make you leave."_

_Hikari nodded in agreement. "We'll go together."_

_Instantly, Nanami turned her face to Hikari's surprised by her words. "What?"_

"_We'll go together," Hikari grinned. "Where ever you go… I go. Where ever I go… You go."_

_Nanami stared at her friend confused. It was obvious Hikari wasn't thinking straight. It was impossible to always be together. Wasn't it? _

"_It's a promise Nanami," Hikari continued._

"_Hikari…" Nanami mumbled softly. "We can—"_

"_Promise?" Hikari asked cutting Nanami off._

_Sighing, Nanami agreed. "I promise."_

_Hikari grinned and then glanced down at her fruit. She gently tapped her fingers against the soft crop._

_Nanami reached over to Hikari and also patted the fruit. She was carefully not to beat the Papou fruit too hard in fear of breaking it._

"_Nanami, look!" Hikari suddenly gasped. She handed Nanami the fruit and reached into the sand._

"_What is it?" Nanami asked, peering over Hikari's small hands, trying to make out the object._

_Hikari soon pulled out a multi-colored seashell covered in wet sand. She gently brushed the sand off the shell and then held it above her head. "Isn't it beautiful?"_

_Nanami nodded in agreement. She had become mesmerized by the delicate but oddly shaped shell. _

_Hikari placed it against her ear, listening carefully. "Oh Nanami! The ocean! It can speak!" She took the shell from her ear and then brought it close to her lips. "Hello Mister Ocean!" _

_Nanami reached over to the shell as she spoke. "Let me hear Hikari."_

"_No," Hikari said as she moved it out of Nanami's reach. "If you break it Mister Ocean and I may never get to continue our important conversation."_

_Nanami giggled as she moved her hand back to her lap. "You're weird Hikari."_

_Hikari stuck out her tongue playfully and she put the seashell back to her ear._

* * *

"Hikari," Nanami mumbled quietly to herself. "What are you thinking about? Why won't you talk to me?" Sighing, she closed her eyes and laid her head against the cushion of her seat.

* * *

A dark city, towered by skyscrapers and what seemed like a cold concrete forest covered in dark blues and black. It rained hard. Liquid ice pelted the ground. This dark city, it was drenched in darkness. And the air; the air was ever so still. There was no breeze, no wind, no nothing. This dark, still city, surrounded by silence. Utter silence. Even the rain seemed distant in this municipality. All that could be heard if you listened closely were the raindrops. The raindrops and his footsteps. His lips parted as he drew a deep breath.

"Hikari," he muttered under his inhalation.

A black hood concealed his head, shielded his eyes. His parted lips which drew breaths were the only exposed skin from him. His flesh was covered by his leather black hooded cloak. A silver zipper and silver beaded pull strings for the hood formed a semi circle in the center embellished the cloak. His legs could be seen from his cape. His pants were black; his silver trimmed boots consisted of the same color. Under his bell shape sleeves were bear leather black gloves.

"I wonder who she's thinking about," he asked himself. "Probably Sora."

Suddenly, a squirming gathering of darkness made into hundreds of bodies made their way towards him. The Neoshadows hopped and staggered their way to the boy.

With a smirk upon his lips he spoke in an eerie tone, "Finally… Something to get my mind off the daughter of the Keyblade."

Lashing out two oddly shaped weapons, the boy bent slightly, getting into an offensive stance. In his left hand was the Bond of flames Keyblade. It's red and silver colors pierced through the darkness. In his right hand was a silver, onyx, and turquoise Keyblade. The keychain was a four pointed Silver Star. The handle was checkered black and white, the large circle around it, onyx. Separating the handle from the silver bar of the weapon was the sign of Nobodies on top of a diamond turquoise shape. The bar of the weapon was silver but it seemed more Alice blue. The key part of the blade was onyx and silver. There appeared to be small sharp arrows pointing outwards. The four arrows were in a pattern of onyx, silver, onyx, and silver. Just by a glance, it was obvious to see that this Nobody Keyblade was dangerous.

Heartless launched themselves at the boy, slashing their claws around. Neoshadows all came close, all after one thing. They slashed, launched, hacked, slit, and sliced at the male with what were considered hands. But he was stronger. He destroyed each off, with two hits at most. It seemed this battle wouldn't take long. But with each Neoshadow destroyed, another appeared.

He was tiring. He could feel exhaustion catch up to him. Soon, lifting his keyblades became an effort. The muscular heartless were too many. What had only taken two hits to destroy became, three, and then four, and then five, and then count was lost.

"_There are too many!"_ The male thought, furiously. _"I'm not going to make it out of here alive."_ He could feel his arms slowly drop to his sides, his upper eyelids crash into his lower eyelids, and his body head for the stone-cold, wet concrete.

"Roxel!"

He spun his head around at the sound of his name. Not too many feet from him, another male in a black cloak stood. His coat was similar to the first male's; leather gloves, black silver trimmed boots, a silver zipper and beaded pull strings, and a hood. The only difference were his sleeves tightened around his wrists.

Unlike Roxel, his hood was down. He had short scarlet red hair and wide Kelly green eyes. His hair was wet, and he appeared to have tears under his eyes. It was hard to tell because of the rain drops on his face. Once more he shouted out Roxel's name in panic.

Roxel had fallen to his knees. He drew four slow breaths before standing to his feet. He knew he was too weak to fight, but he didn't have a choice. He went into a battle stance and prepared for the next Neoshadow to try and take him on.

He had expected heartless to come at him from the behind and front. As he anticipated, they did. But some leaped in the air and came crashing down on him, pelting him to the ground on his stomach.

"No…" He muttered, trying to knock them off. "I won't lose to weak Neoshadows." He moved his limbs about but it made no difference. The creatures attacked him furiously. He could feel them tear into his coat, slice their way into his skin. Suddenly, what had felt like the weight of the world lifted. Roxel glanced upwards to see the red-head male lashing at the heartless with two dangerously sharp katanas. The colors of his weapons consisted of blood red, black and silver. The handle of the weapons had been blood red and black. The long knives of the katanas were silver.

"Saxon…" Roxel mumbled. He felt his voice sounded so ambiguous compared to the rain drops and the sound of the other male's weapons whip through the air.

Roxel picked himself up and made his way to a smaller section of Neoshadows. He was still weak, but he wasn't about to let Saxon take on the heartless on his own. He slashed at them with all the power that he had. But his power wasn't much. He soon found himself on the ground again. Rain droplets hit his face hard, as if to be telling him he failed. He closed his eyes, drew a breath, and then quickly lost consciousness.

* * *

Later, Roxel opened his eyes to find himself lying in an ivory colored bed, white and black sheets on top of his body. He looked up to the white ceiling above him before slightly lifting the covers to see he had been stripped of his cloak and was now only left in his dark pants. He looked around the room, trying to figure out where exactly he was. The bed he lay on was across the door. Not so far from him, against a white wall was a large window. Ivory curtains covered what should have been light shining through the glass. Close to the bed was a desk, a large bookcase alongside of it. On the other side of the bookcase was a closet door, and beside that was a large white dresser. In the center of the room, yet closer to the entrance was a small black couch. The room was dull. All the walls were white and the only other door apart from the closet and the entrance door was one which probably led to the bathroom.

It slowly came back to him. Roxel was in his own room of The Castle That Never Was of The World That Never Was.

He sunk deeper into his comfortable bed and sighed.

"Did I… Faint?" He asked himself. He glimpsed at the couch to see his cloak lying lifelessly along it. By the couch was his black long sleeved shirt he wore under his cloak.

Abruptly, the door clicked open. Saxon poked his head in, a smile formed on his face.

"You're awake?"

Roxel nodded and gestured for Saxon to come closer.

Saxon made his way to Roxel's bed and sat at the edge of the single bed when he reached it.

"How long have I been…?" Roxel paused to find the right word for his rest. "Asleep?"

"One night," Saxon mumbled. He fumbled around with a loose thread of one of the sheets. "Did you have a good rest?"

Roxel nodded. He ran his fingers through his blond bangs and unruly crimson red hair. "I can't believe I gave up so easily. Pretty weak of me, huh?"

Saxon chuckled in agreement, "You can't win every battle y'know."

"So what happened to the heartless?" Roxel asked, interested. He leaned towards Saxon, "Were you able to defeat them all?"

Saxon shook his head, "Nope. There were way too many. I had to drag you out of there as soon as possible so I just left."

Roxel's excitement faded. "Oh…" He mumbled sinking back into his bed. "Stupid heartless."

"If I'm not mistaken…" Saxon replied. "Those heartless are the reason for your existence."

Rolling his eyes, Roxel nodded. "I really hate this place."

"So why don't you just go?" Saxon asked, curiously.

Roxel's eyelids lowered. He turned his face away. "Because… I owe Xemnas."

"What could you possible owe him?" Saxon laughed light-heartily.

Roxel turned his head towards Saxon in an instant. He glared at him coldly. "Don't you remember?" He asked furiously. "If it weren't for him, I would never be alive."

Saxon gasped a little as his eyes widened. Too quickly, a challenging look came to his face. "Xemnas never created you. You owe Xemnas nothing."

Roxel gasped. He couldn't understand why someone who knew that Xemnas was literally his Superior would say something so ridiculous. Xemnas had given him life. "How can you say that?" Roxel asked, still upset.

Saxon closed his eyes and crossed his arms. He smirked as he spoke, "Easily. Xemnas never created you. He simply put you together. Why don't you just tell the truth? You know who created you."

Roxel clenched his fist angrily. He wasn't ready to face the reality of his situation. He looked at Saxon who was now looking at him with a hard look. He wasn't ready to give up either. Roxel sighed and closed his eyes. "Fine. Xemnas didn't create me…" He turned his head away furiously before finishing his sentence. "Sora did."

Saxon nodded, as if to be approving his friend's reality. "If it weren't for Sora… There would be no Roxas. And without Roxas… There'd be no you. Actually… You're Axel and Roxas…" Saxon became quiet. He placed his finger on his chin in deep thought. "When you seriously think about it… Kairi created you… Kind of. She is the reason why Roxas was created."

"Can we just let this go?" Roxel sighed. He was ashamed that he had been made based on the emotions of others. He felt what occurred between Kairi and Sora was stupid. As if maybe things could have been a bit different, a lot less emotional, he wouldn't be where he was now.

"Okay," Saxon smiled. "Hey… Remember when you were put together?"

Roxel chuckled, "How can I forget?"

* * *

"_As you know, Numbers VIII and XIII have… Crossed over," A man with silver hair, dark brown skin, and amber eyes spoke. He stood only with Saxon in a white room. _

_A large silver tube that extended over the floor to the ceiling was set in the center of the room. Along the white walls were black control panels covered in colors of different buttons. Above the panels were many different posters covered in scientific drawings. _

"_We have no choice but to replace them since our numbers are… Shortening," The man continued._

"_And I'm one of their replacements Xemnas?" Saxon smirked. "Humph. Kind of sucks that you couldn't find more nobodies like me, huh?"_

_Xemnas looked down upon Saxon before turning back to the tube. "As you have already pointed out, they are no more like you. This brings me to the reason I have brought you here. We had to recreate numbers VIII and XIII."_

_Xemnas pressed his hand against a button of one of the control panels. Immediately, the silver covering slid off the tube, revealing a glass cylinder. _

_Saxon's mouth opened slightly, his eyes widened. "Is that… A boy?"_

_Xemnas looked at perplexed and amazed Saxon, a triumph smirk on his mouth. _

_Inside the cylinder, floating lifelessly, a male hovered in a gas like Alice Blue liquid. He seemed to be unconscious, or possibly dead. _

"_He looks like… Roxas," Saxon muttered. He stepped closer to the tube, reaching out for it. "Is he alive?"_

"_Of course," Xemnas replied. "If it is not… Saix will dispose of it immediately."_

_Saxon's hand pressed against the cold glass. He stared at the face the resembled a wielder that he had known of but never met. "Aren't you ever going to take him out of that tube?"_

"_Possibly…" Xemnas muttered under his breath. Pressing another button, the liquid in the pipe soon drained out._

_Saxon watched anxiously as the water head for the ground. "Come on, come on," he thought. "Get out of that tube thing."_

_The blond and crimson red head's feet touched the ground when the water had escaped from the tube. He stood still for a moment. His mouth was slightly open but his eyes remained shut. Suddenly, his body dropped. He lay on the ground beneath him, still not awake and surrounded by the walls of the tube. _

"_He needs help," Saxon thought. He searched through the control panel closest to Xemnas looking for a button to remove the tube. As soon as he found it, he pressed it and then stared at the tube. An onyx mechanism attached to the tube, and like claws, picked it up from the top and dragged it out of the white room through a wall._

_Saxon rushed towards the boy. He picked up one of the boy's arms and draped it over his own neck. Saxon then wrapped his own arm around the boy's waist and dragged him to a wall of the room. He set the boy down when he reached a wall and then seated himself with him._

"_He's pretty light," Saxon muttered under his breath. "What's his name?"_

"_Why don't you ask it?" Xemnas asked, uninterested._

_Saxon looked up at Xemnas, perplexed. He then turned to the cataleptic boy and smiled slightly. Shaking him gently, he asked, "Hey… You awake?"_

_The boy remained quiet._

_Saxon sighed. He was beginning to lose hope. He doubted that the boy would ever wake up from his slumber. It then came to his mind again, what if the boy wasn't sleeping? What if he never did wake up because he was never alive?_

"_Seems as if it is just a waste of flesh," Xemnas declared. "Saix will have to dispose of it then."_

_Saxon opened his mouth to protest but found no words could come out of his mouth. He stared at the ground furiously, clenching his fists. _

_Xemnas simply smirked and turned to the control panel._

"_Xemnas…" Saxon muttered, but he was stopped. Quiet stirring echoed through out the room. Immediately, both Xemnas and Saxon turned to the boy. _

"_Roxel…" The blond and crimson boy said in a small voice. "My name… is Roxel… Savvy?"_

_Xemnas stared at the boy, acting as if he wasn't the least bit interested in the creation. Really, his mind was now focused on the boy more then ever. If he hadn't had so much self will and pride, he may have found himself obsessing over this new character._

_Unlike Xemnas, Saxon became fanatical with Roxel. He was already in infatuated with him at first sight, but it now began hinting towards an obsession. He leaned in close to Roxel, who was sitting up his eyes still closed._

_Roxel had listened closely to the voices in the room. They had sounded so different now then they did before. They we're less isolated. Of course, these were the same voices but they sounded so real now. He wanted to open his eyes to see the faces of those around him but found he couldn't. He wasn't even sure where he was. All he could feel was what seemed to be a tiled floor beneath him. _

"_Open your eyes," Saxon smiled eagerly._

"_Your name… Is Saxon, right?" Roxel asked, refusing to follow the young male's instructions._

"_Yeah, and Xemnas is here too," Saxon responded. He was a bit surprised that this boy had known he's name. He was still in shock that Roxel was even alive._

"_I know…" He muttered. Roxel tilted his head upwards, laying it on the wall. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to see before him a white ceiling._

_Saxon leaned in closer to Roxel to see his eye color. He discovered that his eyes were two different colors. One was an azure blue and the other a vibrant green. He also saw two small black inverted triangles under each eye. He gasped slightly before turning to Xemnas. "How did you do this?"_

"_There are ways…" Xemnas muttered under his breath. He turned his back on the two young males and made his way towards a sliding door. "Show Number XIII all the rooms in The Castle That Never Was Number VIII." With that, he pressed a button close to the doors, waited for them to slid open and then walked out. The doors shut quickly after the Superior had left. _

"_Looks as if it's just you and I buddy," Saxon smiled turning to Roxel._

_Shaky, Roxel stood. He tried to catch his balance but ended up having to lean against the wall behind him. He looked down at his legs to see he was wearing Arsenic shorts. _

"_Well this is awkward…" He mumbled attempting to stand straight. "I don't get a pretty black cloak because I'm the new guy? Or is it because I resemble people you all hate?"_

_Saxon chuckled before grabbing Roxel's arm. "You get Roxas' old room, maybe there's a coat for you there." He guided Roxel to the sliding doors, pressed the button and then walked through once the doors had open. "And if there isn't, we hate you because your the new guy."_

"_And how do they know my size?" Roxel asked. He turned his head back to the doors, watching them close._

"_A lucky guess?"_

"_Too lucky if you ask me…"_

_Saxon broke into a hysterical laughter, still guiding a perplexed Roxel through out The Castle That Never Was._

* * *

"So many memories in this place," Saxon smiled.

"I guess…" Roxel mumbled.

Sighing, Saxon turned to his friend. "So… What about the next mission you've got? Excited?"

Shaking his head, Roxel frowned. "How could Xemnas give me this mission? I hate being social… I hate acting like someone I'm not. More importantly… I hate…."

"Hikari…." Saxon finished quietly. He looked down at the sheets beneath him.

Roxel turned his head away, forlornly.


	3. Chapter 3: Heartless

Chapter 3:

Heartless

"We've been out here for a while," Atsuko mumbled. "Anybody see any worlds yet?"

Both Hikari and Nanami glanced out their windows; nothing but stars, rocks, and an odd dark sky.

"There's nothing out here," Nanami stated.

Hikari nodded.

"Wait a second…." Mizuki muttered. She removed one of her hands from the steering wheel and down onto the control panel in front of her. She pressed different buttons as she scanned through the panel. "I think we're getting close."

Hikari leaned out wards of her seat in excitement. "Close to where?"

"Twilight Town," Mizuki replied.

Hikari sank into her seat. That wasn't the answer she wanted. She wanted to go to a place she had never been, somewhere new where she could explore and maybe find the voice that had been keeping her awake during the nights.

"Ouch," Atsuko retorted. "No new worlds?"

"Not yet," Mizuki smiled. "But we'll find some… After we rest in Twilight town."

"Do we have to?" Atsuko complained. "Can't we just pass it by?"

"We need to rest," Mizuki insisted. "We have no idea what's out there. We need to be prepared."

"You sound like our parents," Nanami chuckled.

Atsuko frowned. "Nanami's right. I don't need any lectures from you Mizuki, let's just pass Twilight Town."

"No," Mizuki argued.

"I bet Hikari wants to pass it," Atsuko smirked. She turned her head to her brunette friend. "Don't you Hikari?"

Hikari had been looking out the window closest to her. On her face was a lost expression. She hadn't been paying attention to her friends. Once again, she was lost in her own world.

"Hikari?"

Hikari whirled her head around at the sound of her name. Wide eyed and confused she looked at her friends who stared at her with the same expression on their own faces. After a moment, her expression darkened. The tips of her eyebrows sunk inwards as she turned her head back to the window. "Just land."

Silence filled the space craft. Nobody spoke for a few moments; the only sound was the faint noise of the ship's engine.

Breaking the silence, Atsuko spoke, "You heard the woman; land."

Nodding, Mizuki directed the ship to the route of Twilight Town.

* * *

"We look awful," Roxel complained as he crossed his arms against his chest. He stood outside of a shop on Market Street. He and Saxon were in the open-market area of Market Street, Tram Common. Saxon smirked before chuckling. "They're just clothes. You'll grow into them."

Roxel looked down at himself. He had been wearing his Organization cloak not so long before but now was dressed completely differently. His long legged pants were Asparagus green with patches of fern green. On the left pant leg was a white skull that was placed over the knee section of the slacks. The eyes of the skull were pure black. His shirt was long sleeved. The sleeves consisted of three different colors; Payne's grey, a silver grey, and an arsenic grey. Furthermore around his left shoulder were two thick pieces of thread. He also wore a vest with the checkered pattern of black and white located in the center. The rest of it, apart from the hood, was ivory white. Alongside the silver zipper was a coral red cloth sew to the vest. The hood of the vest was also coral red. On his feet were coral red and black shoes.

Saxon was dressed differently also. He was dressed completely in different shades of red and small amount of onyx. His sleeveless shirt that consisted of a wide neck was fire engine red which when getting to the end of the shirt became sangria red. Around his waist was a large scarlet red belt, the buckle onyx. His long legged pants were Venetian red which soon added into falu red. On his right arm, he wore a single Alizarin red glove. At his wrist was an overly sized amaranth red shirt cuff. The rest of his arm was covered in a stunning Chinese dragon embellished by many shades of red. On his feet were onyx boots which went to an unknown height.

"I seriously hate this," Roxel complained. "I don't understand why we had to take off our cloaks."

"Because," Saxon replied. "We can't wonder around these worlds dressed like that. It may have been a while since Organization XIII first totally screwed up but it's still possible for people to remember what they look like."

Roxel sulked. "Figures."

"Just enjoy this while you still can because you're the one that has to get her on our side." Saxon twisted his head in different directions in search of something. "They're late."

"Figures."

* * *

"I missed this place," Mizuki smiled. She walked alongside Atsuko, Nanami, and Hikari at Station Heights. As they made their way to Tram Common they spoke amongst themselves.

"Why?" Atsuko asked. "We come here all the time." She crossed her arms behind her head. It was obvious she was annoyed and uninterested.

"Not all the time," Nanami corrected. "Often… But not all the time."

Mizuki nodded. "It will be different this time. Now we can go where ever we please."

"True…" Atsuko agreed. "So what exactly do we need here?"

"A room to start with," Mizuki chuckled. She noticed that they were coming to Tram Common. She could see small stores, people, and posters everywhere. "We may need to shop around…"

"But… Then we would need munny," Nanami assumed.

"And we don't have any of that," Atsuko added.

"Then we work," Hikari whispered. She had recently snapped out of her gaze and had actually been paying attention to her friends. "All we need is a bit of munny."

"A bit," Mizuki chuckled. "Ha. You're funny. Try about two thousand."

"We can raise two thousand in no time," Hikari smiled.

"Each," Mizuki smirked.

Atsuko, Nanami, and Hikari stopped in their steps. The stared at Mizuki with shocked expressions.

"Liar!" Atsuko accused. She pointed a finger out to her silver and white haired friend. "Stop scaring Nanami!"

"I'm not scared!" Nanami protested.

"Shut up Nanami! You're scared!" Atsuko declared.

"I'm not trying to scare anybody," Mizuki argued. "Rooms are probably expensive."

"Mizuki's right," Hikari declared. "Rooms are expensive no matter where you go." She sighed and threw her head upwards to the blue sky. "Maybe if we go back home now, are parents won't be so upset."

Silence filled between the girls. It was a good idea just to go back, but it was also considered giving up. They'd started off so well; was it really time to go already?

Just then, a loud sound echoed through out Tram Common. Nanami's hand hovered over Hikari's face, right at her cheek. Hikari's cheek itself was burning red. Her face faced the side; it was so still it was hard to tell if she was moving or not. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were open wide. She drew short quiet breaths.

Mizuki and Atsuko stood in shock. They wanted to speak but there were no words that could be spoken.

Nanami slowly moved her hand away from Hikari's face and gazed down at the ground. Slowly and quietly, she spoke. "We can't go. Not now, not yet. This is just a minor setback. I'm not ready to go yet." She faced Hikari, tears welled in her eyes. She tried to stop them from falling down onto her cheeks. Luckily, no tears fell. "And if I'm not ready to go, you aren't either. Because where ever you go, I go. And where ever I go, you go. We made a promise, Hikari. How can you forget that!?"

Atsuko opened her mouth, ready to speak, but Mizuki stopped her. She knew this wasn't the time for either of them to say anything. What was occurring in front of them didn't include them. She felt Hikari and Nanami had to solve this issue on their own.

Hikari glanced down at the ground and then looked up at Nanami. "Forgive me Nanami," she smiled. "I guess I forgot our promise…"

Nanami smiled and nodded.

"Not to mention how much of a baby you are," Hikari pointed at her friend and laughed. "Seriously Nanami… I could never forget that promise. It was when I first talked to Mister Ocean. Gosh, you can be such a toddler sometimes."

Nanami clenched her fist. "Do you want another mark on your other cheek Hikari?"

"Now _sweetie, _didn't mommy ever teach you not to hit?" Hikari continued to tease.

"That's it! I'm going to beat you up!" Nanami declared. She extended her arms out towards Hikari.

Seeing the look on Nanami's face, Hikari proceeded to run wildly. Nanami, not ready to let Hikari's teasing go, ran after her. Atsuko and Mizuki stood aside watching the chase.

* * *

Not so far from the group of girls, Saxon and Roxel observed them.

"She got slapped," Saxon mumbled. "I wonder if she's okay."

"Who cares?" Roxel muttered. Secretly, he wondered the same thing. He wanted ever so badly to reach out to Hikari and heal her cheek. It was too strange to say out loud so he kept it to himself.

"You do," Saxon chuckled. "Admit it. You want to hold her in yours arms and make sure she's alright."

"Don't make me hit you," Roxel muttered. He turned his head away hoping that Saxon wouldn't see that his face. He felt ashamed and embarrassed and it could probably be shown from his face. Unlike the other Nobodies of Organization XIII, Roxel could feel somewhat. He was that only member that still consisted of a heart; even if it was half of one.

"I can't blame you though," Saxon smiled. He crossed his arm behind his head. "She's really pretty. Probably kind hearted and hopeful. You can tell by looking at her, y'know what I mean?"

Roxel peeked from the corner of his eye at Hikari. He watched her reunite with her group of friends. He observed her movements, her expressions, everything. He could tell she was having a good time yet she seemed a bit off track. As if she was lost because every so often she'd scan around the area, in search for something, or someone.

"You ready to go play hero?" Saxon asked, breaking Roxel's train of thought. It took him awhile to understand what Saxon was saying before it came back to him. "Yeah. Sure. But how do you know this is really going to work?"

Saxon smirked. "I know for a fact that none of them have their weapons. I know they know absolutely nothing. I know that they will have no idea what's going on when the heartless attack."

"Okay," Roxel nodded. "Just make them shadow heartless."

"What? You're worried your girlfriend will get hurt?"

"Shut up and summon them already."

"Fine." Saxon snapped his fingers loudly yet lazily and then pointed towards the area where the girls stood. "Go."

* * *

The girls had been talking about their money issue when they heard a scream. They all turned their heads in the direction of the yell. A woman was pushing herself against a wall, trying to keep distant from small black creatures. They had beaded yellow eyes and small bodies, yet they were feared. They leaped from places, attack people with their sharp dark claws.

"What are those things!?" Atsuko exclaimed. She noticed a group of them began surrounding herself and her friends. "What do they want?"

"Who knows," Mizuki replied. She stared at the creatures cautiously and took steps slowly away from them. The beings took steps closer to the group. When they felt they were close enough, the leaped onto the females, attempting to claw their claws into their skin. Atsuko, Nanami, and Mizuki tried to use their arms and legs to fight off the creatures. But without weapons they weren't strong enough. Hikari stood in a defensive stance but appeared almost frozen. A terrified look came to her face. She couldn't scream, she couldn't run, and all she could do was be attacked.

* * *

Around the Tram common, people were running from the creatures, trying to keep themselves safe. Screaming was heard and so was crying. The noises refused to be drowned out.

"I've had enough of this!" Mizuki declared. She went into an offensive stance, held one of her arms at arm level. Suddenly, a strange object came to her hand. She didn't know it, but she held The Way to Dawn Keyblade.

* * *

"This can't be!" Saxon whispered loudly from his hiding place. "How can she have a Keyblade?"

"She just can," Roxel smirked. He was enjoying seeing Saxon's plans ruined. He had been hoping all along that the girls they had been studying would soon get their weapons. He really didn't want to have to try and save them.

"Well… You still have to get out there."

"What!? Why? They have their weapons. There's no need for me."

"Only _one_ of them has their weapons and she's not even the one we're concentrating on. The one were supposed to be watching looks as if she's about to die. You better get out there."

Roxel sighed and stretched. "Fine. Whatever." He jumped onto the roof of a building close to the one he and he had been standing on with Saxon. He looked down at his friend and smirked. "But if she dies… I'm blaming this whole thing on you… So maybe you should keep your distant from The World That Never Was for a while." He then pounced onto another building, continuing to his destination.

* * *

Soon Atsuko and Nanami caught the sight of Mizuki and her weapon. They had to keep fighting off the empty creatures yet, became a bit distracted by the new weapon.

"What is that Mizuki?" Nanami shouted. She kicked off a sinister creature and ran closer to Mizuki.

"How'd you get it?" Atsuko added. She smacked away a being in front of her.

"I don't know what it is," Mizuki admitted shyly. She slashed at heartless beings. For once, it actually disappeared into a smoke of darkness. Strangely, a pink crystallized heart floated out from the darkness and then high into the sky. It soon also disappeared into darkness. "It actually works." Quickly, she turned to her friends. "Call it out. I think it works because it can sense that you want help or something."

"But that's just stupid," Atsuko frowned. She could feel she was getting tired but she couldn't stop fighting.

"I'm up for anything," Nanami smiled. She ran through the evil organisms. She could feel their claws sink into her skin. She looked down to her arms were bleeding yet she continued to run. All of a sudden, she fell hard onto the ground. Life forms leaped onto her vigorously. Nanami shut her eyes, preparing for pain to strike her. To her surprise, she felt nothing. She was felt completely empty. She glanced down at her palms to see two weapons. One consisted of all bright colors, the other dark. She went into an offensive stance, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in her hands. "Atsuko!" She shouted making her way towards the redhead. She searched through the heartless, still searching. Unexpectedly, a Crimson red and silver circular object came rapidly towards her. Nanami smacked it out of her way, sending it back to once it had come from. She watched it return to Atsuko who was looking back at her a smirk on her face. Nanami slashed through heartless beings once again, making her way towards Atsuko.

* * *

"Atsuko," Nanami said once she had reached her. "You found your weapons?"

"Yeah," Atsuko smiled. She scanned the area. "Hikari's gone."

"What!?" Nanami shouted. "How is that possible? She was just here."

Atsuko threw her Chakrams towards the ground, attacking more of the gloomy beasts. "There's no time to talk. We have to find her."

* * *

"Hikari!" Mizuki shouted. "Where are you!?" She slashed her way through the dark creatures. She didn't pay much attention to them. She didn't care about anything at that moment. She knew she had to find Hikari. Her friend was strong, but in a group like this Mizuki wasn't so sure. Plus, Hikari hadn't seemed so well ever since they left home. What if she didn't even have her weapon? Mizuki ran faster, hit harder, and her heart beat faster as she searched.

* * *

Hikari had found a way to get to an area with less dark beings. She couldn't fight them, she knew it was useless. She felt them climb on to her, pulling her towards the ground. Their claws tore into her back and legs.

"Get off!" She shouted. She attempted to pull them off but it as useless. There were too many and she was weak from running through out Tram Common. She fell to the ground on her stomach. The beasts had her on the ground. All that was left was to take one last thing.

"Leave her alone!"

Abruptly, Hikari felt someone tug onto her wrist, lifting her to her feet. She gazed upwards to see a face but before she could properly look at it; she found herself being pulled by the person, forced to run. After a few steps, she felt the force let go of her. She looked around her only to see she was still surrounded by the beings. She took three steps back before turning to run. To her surprise, there was no where left to run, she had been cornered. She barely had time to breathe, never the less think. There was obviously no time to conduct a plan to escape. Once again, she her breathing became heavier and she was reminded that her energy had drained out. She had run too far with the mysterious person. She looked around rapidly, but knew that it was the end. Nobody was there but her and the beings. At once five leaped into the air. Swiftly, she threw her arm in front of her face for protection and closed her eyes.

Moments later, Hikari opened her eyes to see the human from before slashing at the immortal things. With only a few slashes, the beings disappeared into smoke. Hikari's eyes drifted towards the heart disappearing in the air.

"The life forms you see before you are called Heartless. This specific type of called Shadow Heartless, remember that."

Hikari placed her hand on the wall close to her for support before replying to the person. "I will. But can you tell me who exactly you are?"

"Don't rest!" He shouted. "We don't have time for this!"

Taking deep breaths, Hikari stood up straight. She watched the Shadow Heartless attack the brawling figure. "We need to get out of here!"

"Obviously," he mumbled. He threw his weapons to his sides before smashing his arms to the ground. Immediately, a large fire wall surrounded him. The Shadow heartless became nothing more then a dispersing accumulation of smolder.

Hikari stood still as she watched the amazing sight. One by one, heartless disappeared in clouds of smoke.

Suddenly, she felt her arm being pulled into a different direction. Lucky for her, it was easier to see where she was being guided to now. She caught sight of a large crack in a wall. To her surprise, she was being pulled into the large slit.

* * *

Behind the slit was a forest. Trees were every where. It was hard to see any sort of sunlight because of the large shade the trees gave off. The cool air felt nice against skin. There was only a small breeze but the leaves of the tree rustled loudly. Still, the reverberation seemed so blissful.

Hikari leaned against a tree trunk observing the harmonious setting. She could finally rest for real. Although she hadn't really fought, she was tired out. She had been hit, jumped, and wounded by the heartless.  
Roxel stood many feet away from the girl he had saved. But for a hero, he felt abnormally angry with the victim. _"She's so weak,"_he thought. He crossed his arms, glaring at Hikari coldly. _"Her friends did much better then her. They were even capable of summoning their weapons. You'd think the daughter of S--"_

"I knew this was going to happen."

Roxel's eyes widened. He stared at Hikari with disbelief. Was it possible for her to see things before they happened? If she could, wouldn't she see that what's going on was just a plot? Was she just acting now?

"How?"

"I've been having these weird dreams lately," Hikari replied. "Not much ever happens. But—" She found she couldn't finish her sentence. It was too awkward to discuss. Especially with someone she didn't know. She hadn't even told her parents about the dreams, not her friends, no one. Yet it felt as if she should confess it all to this new presence. She took a deep breath before continuing,

"I've seen those weapons my friends had. I've seen those heartless. I've seen darkness. I've seen light. I've seen it all. But I haven't found them."

"So you're searching for light and darkness?"

"No."

"Then what are you looking for?"

"I'm trying to find a voice."

"Do you know whose voice it is?"

"No."

"Then how will you find it?"

"I just will."

"I doubt that."

Hikari stood up immediately and marched up to the doubting male. "How dare you doubt me!?" She asked angrily. She knew she could find the voice whether this stranger believed her or not. Suddenly she felt her head spin. She tumbled a bit, trying to keep her balance and stop her head from spinning. Before she knew it, she had her head and upper half resting on the figure's chest. She held her arms at her chest staying close to the male. Lazily, she tilted her head upwards to her hero. Her blue eyes gazed at him. Curiousity, when she looked at him, she knew her eyes could tell him she was curious. Yet, the boy looked down at her with pure disgust and hatred but his cheeks burned brightly. A small smile came to her lips as she gazed at the male. He stared back at her, confused. His cheeks grew more red then before as he quickly turned his head from her, confused and embarrassed.

It continued like this between the two for a many seconds. Roxel standing still, facing a tree with burning red cheeks and Hikari leaning on him, smiling. As the wind blew, both of their manes went along with it. As the trees rustled, the sounds of their breaths hummed alongside them. The moments, were the most meaningful.

"Hikari..." Roxel mumbled quietly.

He knew he had to say something to break the moment. He had to ruin it with a cocky phrase. Strangely, he didn't want to. He wanted to remain as her silent supporter. He took a deep breath knowing _something _had to be said.

"Hikari..." He whispered once again.

Suddenly, he felt his chest go cold and weightless. He looked down to see the daughter of the keyblade at his feet. Immedietly he rushed down to his knees and shook her furiously. "Hikari!" He called in a continuous rhythm.

Her head continued to spin more wildly as time passed. Hikari could hear the male's voice calling out to her but chose to ignore him. She shut her eyes as the throbbing in her head continued.


	4. Chapter 4: Honest

_Chapter 4:_

_Honest_

_This isn't what I wanted_

_I was actually hoping to see a face_

_Not just hear of it._

_You can't face mirrors anymore_

_Just because you're afraid._

_Meet me_

_Speak to me_

_Sleep close to me_

_And then, catch me_

_Because if you haven't noticed,_

_I'm falling._

_Honest._

_It's hard to omit myself from this place_

_Because this is where I saw you first_

_In the darkness,_

_Where nothing but our breaths could be heard_

_You being as hidden as you always are,_

_Made sure I didn't get too attached._

_You thought, "Without out a face, she won't care."_

_But as usually,_

_You were wrong about me._

_I care._

_I care more now than I ever did before._

_Honest._

_So many evils and harms you must face_

_So many paths I must cross to reach you_

_I'm not looking for a fairytale_

_I'm simply looking-_

_No,_

_Searching for you_

_I'm looking for your rich voice_

_Even your breath is priceless_

_Honest._

_I hope for your eyes to meet mine_

_I hope for the luminous beam_

_To appear and guide you to me._

_Not that I've grown bored of searching_

_But because it may be easier for you to come see me._

_I'm being followed, remember?_

_Of course you do._

_Because you've always been watching me._

_And I've been hoping to start watching you._

_Honest._

_Bother me_

_Offend me_

_I will still come running._

_Hurt me_

_Threaten me_

_I will still hold you._

_Run from me_

_Hide from me_

_I will still find you._

_Honest_

_So let's forget about tomorrow _

_Let's forget about yesterday_

_Let us only dream today_

_Let me discover you_

_Let me embrace you_

_Let me show you affection_

_Let me be the one_

_I promise I won't hurt you_

_Honest._

_Right now_

_I know your standing by my side_

_Wondering about pulling the trigger_

_Don't._

_Wait for me,_

_I promise I'll awaken._

_Honest._


End file.
